Academic Writing Task 1 · bar chart

Changes in sales of four different book categories from 2002 to 2012

The chart below shows the changes in sales of four different types of books from 2002 to 2012.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Write at least 150 words.

Sales of four different types of books from 2002 to 2012 (thousand copies)

Hobbies books
Entertainment books
History books
Art books

View the data

	2002	2004	2006	2008	2010	2012
Hobbies books	0.5	0.8	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.2
Entertainment books	1.6	1.8	2.8	3	2.5	3
History books	4.5	5	8.1	10	8.5	9
Art books	1.8	2	2.8	3	4	4

Chart redrawn by BandLadder from the data in the original IELTS practice task. Many IELTS practice tasks come from the Cambridge IELTS series (Cambridge University Press & Assessment); all rights in the original tasks remain with their owners.

Band 8 sample answer

The bar chart illustrates the sales figures for four distinct book categories—Hobbies, Entertainment, History, and Art—between 2002 and 2012. Overall, History books remained the most popular choice by a considerable margin, whereas Hobbies books saw a downward trend, ending as the least purchased category.

History books began at 4.5 thousand copies in 2002 and experienced steady growth, peaking at 10 thousand copies in 2008 before fluctuating slightly to finish at 9 thousand in 2012. In contrast, Hobbies books started at 0.5 thousand copies, briefly rose to 0.8 thousand in 2004, but then plummeted to a consistent low of 0.2 thousand copies for the remainder of the decade.

Regarding the other categories, Art books showed a gradual upward trajectory, rising from 1.8 thousand copies in 2002 to reach a plateau of 4 thousand copies by 2010. Entertainment books also followed a generally positive trend, increasing from 1.6 thousand in 2002 to 3 thousand in 2008, before experiencing a minor dip and recovering to 3 thousand copies by the end of the period. Overall, while History books maintained a clear lead, the other categories showed more modest growth or stability.

188 words. Every figure in the answer comes from the chart above.

How to write about bar charts

Compare the biggest and smallest bars before anything else.
If the bars show years, describe change; if they show places, describe rank.
Round sensibly and say 'just over' or 'nearly' rather than guessing decimals.

fluctuating: changing frequently in size, amount, or level
plummeted: decreased rapidly in value or amount
trajectory: a path or development followed by something
plateau: a state of little or no change
margin: the difference between two amounts or values
modest: relatively moderate or limited in amount

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Frequently asked questions

What should the overview say?

History books consistently dominated sales throughout the period, while Hobbies books experienced a significant decline to become the least popular category.

How long should an IELTS Task 1 answer be?

At least 150 words; 170 to 200 is the safe range. Spend about 20 minutes on it and leave 40 for Task 2, which carries twice the marks.

How do I describe bar charts?

Compare the biggest and smallest bars before anything else. If the bars show years, describe change; if they show places, describe rank. Round sensibly and say 'just over' or 'nearly' rather than guessing decimals.